Lexus RC-F Review

Is Lexus For Real With This New Coupe?

Sadly, the RC-F is the last entry in its class to boast a naturally aspirated V8, which is a white rhino in today’s automotive landscape. But like the white rhino roaming his last swathe of Serengeti, the non-turbocharged V8 is also a beast unmatched, offering a very distinct driving character within the Lexus family — and within its segment. Which is the first thing you’ll viscerally notice when you actually get to spend some track time behind the wheel.

After a good two-hour commute lazily following New York state’s constrictive speed laws, we were finally able to do just that. There, in Monticello’s pit row, a myriad of multi-colored RC’s hummed, ready to be driven — silver, blue and a head-turning Fanta orange. RC350s, RC350 F-Sports and of course RC-Fs, all fought over by auto hacks like pre-schoolers at a recess toybox. When I finally wrapped my fingers around the thick steering wheel of one and pressed the throttle, the V8 let me know immediately that the RC-F was no kindergarten plaything.

The base RC-F comes standard with a Torsen limited slip differential (LSD), but if you should tick the Performance package ($5,500) Lexus then provides a Torque Vectoring Differential (TVD). What this machinery does is judiciously meter power between the rear wheels during cornering, allowing up to 100% of power to go to either wheel if necessary. This will cover up most of the driver’s mistakes, allowing one to mash on the throttle coming out of apexes without fear. Even when running the TVD against the standard LSD, one right after the other, it was difficult to tell exactly when the tech kicks in. But it sure did seem to make me a better driver on the 18 harrowing corners of Monticello.

The Performance package also comes with a carbon fiber roof and retractable rear wing, lightweight pieces meant to mitigate the burden of the heavy TVD machinery. Which is important, given that the RC-F already weighs 3,958 pounds. That’s over 400 pounds more than BMW’s class-leading M4, and 150 pounds more than Merc’s C63 Coupe. But compare it to Audi’s RS5 — which is 50 pounds heavier, has 17 fewer horses and starts $10,000 higher than the RC-F’s $62,400 base price — and that difference doesn’t seem insurmountable.

The fact that the RC-F was a dedicated coupe model from the white sheet design, not a sedan with two doors chopped off, means that all the small things work in unison. The frame is 50% stiffer than its donor chassis, a Frankenstein amalgamation strengthened through the strategic use of structural adhesive and welds. The RC-F’s suspension is 70% upgraded from the base RC, and the rear wing — either carbon fiber or plastic — rises at 50 mph, offering enough downforce for fantastic cornering ability.

Should you get too excited, and that corner comes at you much faster than expected, then the Brembo brakes — six-piston, 15-inch rotors in the front, and four-piston, 13.6-inch rotors in the rear — will scrub speed quickly.

What’s left? The interior is pure Lexus, meaning everything is spot on. The highlights are the seats — air cooled, nicely sculpted and well bolstered around the shoulders. Ergonomics are Lexus level, with an instrument cluster that offers plenty of nerd number crunching (Adaptive Meter with lap timers, G-meters, torque vectoring gauge, etc.). The center console is even considerately padded, saving your tender knees from banging raw on Monticello’s many turns and 450 feet of elevation changes. About my only protest would be the display — not that it’s lacking, but no matter what Lexus I get into now, I rue that it doesn’t have the GS’s brilliant 12.3-inch display. Hands down, it’s the best display in the game (OK, not counting the Tesla Model S’s double iPad screen).

In the end, the RC-F isn’t a game-changer for Lexus in that it still falls a bit short of capturing the gold. It is a bit cumbersome, and the exterior design might not be on par with Germany’s best. But it is a remarkably well-handling, powerful coupe — one that Lexus absolutely needed to stay in the game.